Physics

From the forces that keep athletes twirling and sliding, to the weird laws governing the world of the very small, to the far-out concepts of time travel and alternate universes, physics covers a lot of interesting territory. Here, Live Science keeps you abreast of all the fascinating physics discoveries.Physics

Related Topics: Elements, Chemical Reactions, Technology

Latest Updates

A black hole as seen from the surface of a planet.

Aliens could be sucking energy from black holes. That may be how we'll find them.

By Tom Metcalfe

An illustration shows the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS). Data from TESS has revealed a sextuple star system less than 2,000 light years from Earth.

'Sextuply-eclipsing sextuple star system' discovered whirling through the Milky Way

By Rafi Letzter

Ever ridden a teacup ride at a state fair? If so, you might have a small taste of life in a whirling, twirling sextuply-eclipsing sextuple star system.

Illustration of a pair of stars about to merge: a neutron star and a white dwarf, whose gravity is severely distorting the larger white dwarf.

Neutrons' 'evil twins' may be crushing stars into black holes

By Paul Sutter

The universe may be filled with "mirror" particles — and these otherwise-undetectable particles could be shrinking the densest stars in the universe, turning them into black holes.

An artistic rendering of the XMM-Newton (X-ray multi-mirror mission) space telescope. A study of archival data from the XMM-Newton and the Chandra X-ray space telescopes found evidence of high levels of X-ray emission from the nearby Magnificent Seven neutron stars, which may arise from the hypothetical particles known as axions.

Mystery particle may explain extreme X-rays shooting from the 'Magnificent 7' stars

By Stephanie Pappas

Particles called axions may be the reason the 'Magnificent 7' cluster of neutron stars emits extreme X-rays.

Neutron stars are among the densest objects in the universe.

Now-dead radio telescope finds bizarre venomous-spider star

By Rafi Letzter

Data from the now-destroyed Arecibo radio telescope has revealed a bizarre new type of hybrid venomous-spider star.

NASA's first Space Launch System core booster ignites its four main engines at the Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi on Jan. 16, 2020. Expected to last 8 minutes, the test lasted just over 1 minute.

Critical engine test for NASA's Space Launch System megarocket shuts down earlier than planned

By Amy Thompson

NASA fired up the core stage of its massive new megarocket Saturday (Jan. 16) in a critical test that appeared to shut down early.

This image shows liquid hydrogen in the rocket core stage of the Space Launch System as it is safely vented and burned as it naturally warms and boils off during a rehearsal of a countdown to hot fire of the stage’s engines on Dec 20, 2020.

Watch NASA test the world's most powerful rocket ever on Saturday

By Rafi Letzter

NASA is going to light up the most powerful rocket it's ever built Saturday (Jan. 16), though it won't go anywhere.

An image shows a newly discovered magnetar spinning unbelievably quickly through the Milky Way.

This might be the fastest magnetar in the whole galaxy

By Rafi Letzter

A rapidly twirling, ultramagnetic 500-year-old infant has been spotted zipping at never-before-seen speeds through the Milky Way. It belongs to a super-rare flavor of super-rare star.

Bumblebee gravity could be proven true if scientists find that a black hole’s shadow is smaller than existing physics theories would predict.

'Bumblebee gravity' could explain why the universe is expanding so quickly

By Paul Sutter

Bumblebee gravity could explain dark energy — if it's proven true.

The Space Launch System sits in the middle of NASA's heavy-duty B-2 Test Stand at NASA’s Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi.

NASA will soon fire up the most powerful rocket ever built

By Rafi Letzter

NASA plans to ignite an absolutely mammoth rocket on Jan. 17, the largest it's built since the Apollo program

An image shows a water droplet hanging from a fern frond. Hydrogen bonds bind water molecules to each other, giving the droplet its characteristic shape. But they're easily broken. Researchers recently discovered a form of hydrogen bond so strong it's comparable to the covalent bonds binding hydrogen and oxygen together into water molecules within the droplet.

New type of ultra-strong chemical bond discovered

By Rafi Letzter

Similar to the bonds found in water, but way more powerful, this new bond could offer deep insight into the true workings of chemical reactions.

The earth

9 epic space discoveries you may have missed in 2020

By Rafi Letzter

Medical discoveries dominated the news in 2020, but even under pandemic conditions, astronomers discovered amazing things in space in 2020.

Cosmic strings, string theory, abstract background.

The 10 biggest physics stories of 2020

By Jeanna Bryner

From a colossal explosion to mystery burps deciphered, here were some of the top stories in physics in 2020.

The galaxy DF4 (center). was originally a big problem for dark matter researchers, having little dark matter at all. But in 2020 astronomers cracked its mystery.

6 ways the hunt for dark matter changed in 2020

By Rafi Letzter

This year saw a possible first detection of solar axions, and the possible death of the sterile neutrino.

The strange bright spots of Occator Crater on the dwarf planet Ceres are unmistakable in this spectacular photo by NASA's Dawn spacecraft taken on Oct. 17, 2016 and released on Nov. 18 as Dawn moves into a higher orbit.

Mysterious asteroid the size of a dwarf planet is lurking in our solar system

By Rafi Letzter

There's a giant asteroid somewhere out there in the solar system, and it hurled a big rock at Earth that left behind meteorites unlike any scientists had ever seen.

An image shows Jupiter and Saturn in the sky on Dec. 21 during the "Great Conjunction" event.

Stunning telescope image of Jupiter and Saturn's Great Conjunction will amaze you

By Rafi Letzter

A telescope close-up reveals the strange beauty of the Great Conjunction.

Venus and Jupiter hang over a frozen United Kingdom during a previous apparent conjunction of planets.

Could the Christmas Star visible tonight actually be the Star of Bethlehem?

By Rafi Letzter

Did the biblical "Star of Bethlehem" come back in 2020? It wouldn't be crazy to think so. But it's not the only possibility.

The milky way

The Milky Way is probably full of dead civilizations

By Rafi Letzter

If there are other intelligent civilizations in the Milky Way, they are probably much closer than we are to the galactic center, and fairly young.

arches of chaos close-up

Invisible 'arches of chaos' span the solar system

By Rafi Letzter

Scientists have mapped the "arches of chaos:" a vast network of arching structures filling the solar system that could one day aid space travel.

Abstract concept of string theory.

Physicists attempt to unify all forces of nature and rectify Einstein's biggest failure

By Paul Sutter

Einstein's failed dream could ultimately become his ultimate triumph, as a small group of theoretical physicists rework his old ideas to explain the most pressing issues of modern science.